My best guess is a WW2 armourers mark for Field Repair, or something similar.
Another opinion is that this is an Ishapore inspection mark of some kind.
Anyone else care to hazard a guess?
-----krinko
FR on the No4 Buttstock
Moderator: joseyclosey
FR on the No4 Buttstock
Does anyone have any concrete information on this mark, which is seen infrequently on the right side of the No4 rifle buttstock?
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL165/11 ... 431965.jpg[/pic]
My best guess is a WW2 armourers mark for Field Repair, or something similar.
Another opinion is that this is an Ishapore inspection mark of some kind.
Anyone else care to hazard a guess?
-----krinko
My best guess is a WW2 armourers mark for Field Repair, or something similar.
Another opinion is that this is an Ishapore inspection mark of some kind.
Anyone else care to hazard a guess?
-----krinko
Freudig wie ein Held zum Siegen
FR
Krinko,
I haven't yet found a documented "FR" definition - if indeed such a document still exists anywhere. Like you, I just observe a lot of rifles and try to deduce a pattern in the information.
Originally, I thought that "FR" had been the regional equivalent of "FTR" in India, since very large numbers of Ishy'd No4s bear the mark. Since India/ Pakistan didn't actually have a No4 production line until Wah was set up in the late 50s, they obviously couldn't use the term "FTR" which specifically means a factory rebuild, rather than a depot refurbishment.
Recently, however, I've seen increasing numbers of rifles which bear "FR" but which do not have any other obvious signs of life in India (the Ishy screw, "RFI" parts, black wood, etc). The mark seems particularly common on Savages, for some reason - I currently have a batch of 20x actions with attached butts bearing the mark, and they do not look like Ishy jobs.
The "FR" was obviously done at a major depot level, but somehow the style of the mark doesn't give the impression it was done in the British mainland military system. I currently think it might originate somewhere like Singapore, or maybe one of the Middle East bases. Singapore/ Malaya had British bases until the 1970s (?), and had several base workshops and depots carrying out work on aircraft, ships and small arms.
Perhaps - my speculation - "FR" was the regional equivalent of the 1948-50 FTR programme back in UK, where all of the wartime issue No4s were overhauled and placed into store. Singapore was the demobilisation centre for the Far East and much of the Near East (plenty of pissed-off National Service demobs first had to sail east to Singapore from the Middle East, before being shipped all the way back again!), and therefore probably had the largest dumps of taken-in rifles outside of UK. This would explain why "FR" rifles appear in UK and Indian stocks - some where shipped home, some were sold off in the region.
This explanation would also match the occurance of FR/FTR marks on No1 rifles - plenty of "FR" SMLEs also turn up with no Ishy characteristics. Most of the No1s still on UK's books in 1945 would have been in the hhands of Far East units, and so would also have been withdrawn to store via Singapore. Assuming Singapore or wherever carried out the demob-and-refurb work, this could account for the three types of FR/FTR marks on No1s:
"FTR" marked No1s, refurbed by BSA (BSA being a factory);
"FTR" marked No1s by Ishapore (Ishapore being a factory) and with Ishy screws, etc.
"FR" marked No1s with Ishy screw (sold to India) or without (returned to UK or sold off to other countries).
I haven't yet found a documented "FR" definition - if indeed such a document still exists anywhere. Like you, I just observe a lot of rifles and try to deduce a pattern in the information.
Originally, I thought that "FR" had been the regional equivalent of "FTR" in India, since very large numbers of Ishy'd No4s bear the mark. Since India/ Pakistan didn't actually have a No4 production line until Wah was set up in the late 50s, they obviously couldn't use the term "FTR" which specifically means a factory rebuild, rather than a depot refurbishment.
Recently, however, I've seen increasing numbers of rifles which bear "FR" but which do not have any other obvious signs of life in India (the Ishy screw, "RFI" parts, black wood, etc). The mark seems particularly common on Savages, for some reason - I currently have a batch of 20x actions with attached butts bearing the mark, and they do not look like Ishy jobs.
The "FR" was obviously done at a major depot level, but somehow the style of the mark doesn't give the impression it was done in the British mainland military system. I currently think it might originate somewhere like Singapore, or maybe one of the Middle East bases. Singapore/ Malaya had British bases until the 1970s (?), and had several base workshops and depots carrying out work on aircraft, ships and small arms.
Perhaps - my speculation - "FR" was the regional equivalent of the 1948-50 FTR programme back in UK, where all of the wartime issue No4s were overhauled and placed into store. Singapore was the demobilisation centre for the Far East and much of the Near East (plenty of pissed-off National Service demobs first had to sail east to Singapore from the Middle East, before being shipped all the way back again!), and therefore probably had the largest dumps of taken-in rifles outside of UK. This would explain why "FR" rifles appear in UK and Indian stocks - some where shipped home, some were sold off in the region.
This explanation would also match the occurance of FR/FTR marks on No1 rifles - plenty of "FR" SMLEs also turn up with no Ishy characteristics. Most of the No1s still on UK's books in 1945 would have been in the hhands of Far East units, and so would also have been withdrawn to store via Singapore. Assuming Singapore or wherever carried out the demob-and-refurb work, this could account for the three types of FR/FTR marks on No1s:
"FTR" marked No1s, refurbed by BSA (BSA being a factory);
"FTR" marked No1s by Ishapore (Ishapore being a factory) and with Ishy screws, etc.
"FR" marked No1s with Ishy screw (sold to India) or without (returned to UK or sold off to other countries).